Last weekend, I finally got the time to watch “Court of Gold,” Netflix’s documentary series surrounding the men’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The series followed several teams thought to be contending for the gold medal. Those teams included Canada, Serbia, France, and, of course, the United States. Led by Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant, the U.S. men’s basketball team was probably the greatest assemblage of players since the Dream Team in 1992. I’m going to say this upfront: I love the Olympics. Always have. I’m that person that not only watches the major sports like gymnastics, swimming, and basketball, but I watch table tennis and fencing, too. A bucket list item of mine is to attend one. The first episode of “Court of Gold” briefly focused on the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics. It showed television coverage of the boat carrying the American Olympic athletes down the River Seine. The broadcaster noted that America was the most successful country in the history of the Olympics, having won over 2,500 medals in total. More than 1,000 of those medals were gold. As I watched those athletes in their Olympic regalia, waving their American flags, and heard the commentator speak about America’s unparalleled Olympic success, I felt pride. I imagine that any other American in my shoes would have felt the same. The pride of being an American. The pride of being from a place that consistently produces excellence. The feeling that you are from the best country in the world. As this pride swelled in me, I was suddenly struck by something. Looking at the athletes on that boat, the athletes waving their American flags, the athletes representing the best that America has to offer, I could not help but notice one thing: the diversity. Men. Women. Tall. Short. Old (for athletes). Young. White. Black. Brown. Yellow. We sent 594 athletes to Paris, representing 46 states. That boat was a true visual cross-section of our nation. Consider that for a moment. America was tasked with assembling its very best athletes to compete with the very best of other nations. And when America did so, its very best came from all across the nation and in varying physical packages. In other words, after compiling its greatness, America produced a team that represented precisely what America is: a melting pot. Said yet another, simpler way, diversity was the result of America’s search for greatness within. Sports are the closest thing that we have to a meritocracy. At least that’s, I think, what most people, including myself, believe. Yes, some people are born with innate skills and gifts which give them a “leg up.” Others are born with the financial means to subsidize participation and training in more costly sports. Nonetheless, success in any sport—specifically greatness in any sport—is influenced in large part by one’s own effort. Sports remains a place where the old adage applies: “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” It is this underlying belief, the belief that sports are the closest thing that we have to a meritocracy, that is the foundation upon which the Olympics’ importance rests. We care about the Olympics because we believe that sports are an equalizer. Because the Olympics are seen as an “even playing field,” we take that much more pride in how our respective country performs. The better athlete/team wins. The better country produces the better athletes/teams. If you believe that sports are the closest thing that we have to a meritocracy, it should say something to you that America’s best athletes represent a cross-section of the nation. I don’t know about you, but what it says to me is this: When Americans compete on a level playing field, when success is truly based on merit, our best will look varied, not uniform. Our best will be diverse in background and appearance, not similar. On a level playing field, American greatness will be drawn from every corner, not just one. If sports are the closest thing that we have to a meritocracy, and such a meritocracy produces greatness that is diverse, it is reasonable to conclude that where there is less diversity, there is less meritocracy. In other words, an environment without diversity is not a meritocracy. And all Americans should agree that, if an environment is not a meritocracy, that environment will not produce the best that America has to offer. There is little diversity among Fortune 500 CEOs. In 2024, only 1.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs were Black. Only 10.4% of them were women. If sports are the closest thing we have to a meritocracy, it is fair to question whether the ranks of Fortune 500 CEOs represent the best America has to offer. There is little diversity in the U.S. legal profession. Seventy-eight percent of lawyers are white. Seven percent are Asian. Six percent are Hispanic. Five percent are Black. If sports are the closest thing we have to a meritocracy, it is fair to question whether the legal profession represents the best America has to offer. There is little diversity among the U.S. Congress. Seventy-four percent of Congress is white. If sports are the closest thing we have to a meritocracy, it is fair to question whether our Congress represents the best America has to offer. Since January 2025, our federal government has been on a mission to eliminate diversity from this nation. Immigrants seeking asylum are “invading.” Programs dedicated to increasing diversity in both the public and private sectors have been shuttered. The accomplishments of minorities and women are erased. They have even gone so far as to seek the disuse of the word ‘diversity.” There is little diversity among President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Eighty-three percent of his cabinet is white. If sports are the closest thing we have to a meritocracy, it is fair to question whether Trump’s cabinet represents the best America has to offer. This government, and the many Americans who support these efforts, fail to see the harm they are causing. In the effort to eliminate diversity, they are not returning America to greatness, they are moving this nation further away from it. They are cutting off America’s nose to spite its face. At this rate, I wonder what the U.S. Olympic team photo will look like in 2028. If certain people have their way, the photo will look much less diverse. If they are successful, I would expect that team to disappoint. Eric Foster, a community member of the editorial board, is a columnist for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. Foster is a lawyer in private practice. The views expressed are his own. 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